Top Accounting Degrees Online

One of the great things about the field of accounting is that there is a job for every education level. Each degree level and program offers its own curriculum so it is important to understand what courses and skills will be covered in a specific program before beginning your educational journey.

As you would expect, the general equation typically is: More time in school = Higher cost = More skills developed = More opportunity for advancement = Higher job status and pay.

Number of Programs: 868 schools with Certificate Programs in Accounting in our online directory.

Generally, a high school diploma and perhaps some college training is sufficient to get a bookkeeping or clerical role. These roles typically focus on performing on-going transactional recording so education programs at this level tend to focus on accounting fundamentals and basic administrative skills. You will learn how to account for transactions in a structured business environment. As you transition to the workplace, then, on-the-job training will be crucial to teach you about your specific firm's business environment and accounting procedures.

Number of Programs: 1,141 schools with Associates degrees in Accounting in our online directory.

An Associate’s Degree or additional Certificate program will offer you the opportunity to expand your accounting education beyond the basics. These programs usually last one to two years and will either give you more general accounting courses, which will improve your ability to learn your firm's business environment when you enter the workforce, or will offer some specialist accounting courses, which can help you learn more detailed accounting procedures for a specialized function.

In either case, an Associate's Degree or Certificate will decrease the amount of the on-the-job training you will need and will increase the value you provide to firms on your first day of work. Given the short duration of the Associate's Degree program, though, most students will not have time to pursue the broad business curriculum or analytical skills that most firms require for significant career advancement.

Number of Programs: 1,224 schools with Bachelors degrees in Accounting in our online directory.

If you pursue a Bachelor’s Degree you can expect to take between four and eight accounting courses over four years. The course load usually will include multiple classes on financial accounting (recording and reporting different types of economic transactions) and at least one class on managerial accounting (measuring operational costs, analyzing business performance, making business decisions), accounting information systems (using technology like enterprise resource planning systems and databases to manage financial data and generate usable information), taxation (how to calculate and account for taxes according to current statute) and auditing (how to statistically test accounting processes and financial statements for reliability and accuracy).

By also requiring students to take core business courses in finance, economics, business law and management, an Accounting Bachelors Degree program will prepare you to take more comprehensive roles in firms: You will interact more with workers and managers and will be expected to provide a greater level of analysis and information processing, not just transactional recording. Although the Bachelors Degree in Accounting takes significantly more time than an Associates Degree, with it, the right skills, effort and work experience you can expect advanced career opportunities, status and pay within your firm.

Number of Programs: 810 schools with Masters degrees in Accounting in our online directory.

A Master’s Degree is a one to two year program which will prepare you take on expanded responsibility in organizations. These programs focus on both refining the technical accounting skills developed in your Bachelors Degree program and developing general management skills. In addition to specializing in a particular branch of accounting (i.e. financial, managerial, audit, information systems, taxation etc.) you will usually spend time studying business cases, working in teams, making presentations and, perhaps, assisting in research projects or teaching.

A Masters Degree in Accounting can give you the skills to not only understand and perform in firms' business environments and accounting processes but to build and improve them. Your analytical and problem-solving skills and your ability to communicate to and work with others will make you a very valuable addition to a firm as a senior analyst or manager or to an educational institution as a lecturer in accounting.

Number of Programs: 138 schools with Doctorate degrees in Accounting in our online directory.

A Doctorate Degree program is a four to six year endeavor which will prepare you to perform research and teaching in high-level accounting. You will take advanced courses in accounting and economic theory, research methods and statistics and will need to perform independent research and teaching prior to graduation. Given the deep level of study in a doctorate program, you will need to specialize in a branch of accounting (i.e. financial, managerial, audit, information systems, taxation, etc.) and might also specialize in a particular research method (i.e. analytical modeling, archival, experimental, field, etc.).

While you might decide to become a business consultant or corporate researcher after achieving your degree, the intent of most Doctorate Degree programs is for you to become a professor. This intent is significantly different from that of most Master's Degree programs so, accordingly, many doctoral programs do not require you to first obtain a Master's Degree. By getting a Doctorate Degree you will learn how to educate future accountants and you will learn how to advance the study of accounting for the benefit of the field in general.

Accounting Degrees Online Guide

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Information is valuable. When one party in a relationship (i.e. investor-manager, manager-employee, government-company) has more information than the other party, there is the potential for that party to misrepresent reality in order to financially gain at the expense of others. Read more...

Over the past decade, there have been several major accounting scandals in the U.S. Not only have these scandals resulted in billions of dollars of lost income to investors, shareholders, bondholders, suppliers and government, they have cost countless people their jobs and retirement savings and have caused several corporations to shut their doors. Read more...

Accounting Education

Life is full of important decisions, and choosing the right accounting school is no exception. You may feel some anxiety as you consider your options, but life's big questions can be made less daunting by mulling over a few smaller questions. If asking yourself "Which accounting school should I attend?" is too daunting, consider some smaller, more specific questions. Identify which questions are most important to you and let the answers to those questions guide you. Read more...

One of the great things about the field of accounting is that there is a job for every education level. Each degree level and program offers its own curriculum so it is important to understand what courses and skills will be covered in a specific program before beginning your educational journey. As you would expect, the general equation is: More time in school = Higher cost = More skills developed = More opportunity for advancement = Higher job status and pay. Read more...

Accounting Careers

Many people know exactly what they want to be when they grow up. Whether they are following a family member's footsteps, were inspired by an experience, or simply made a decision and stuck with it, they know in which direction they'd like to take their career.
But for others, choosing a college major is difficult enough, let alone deciding what to do once they've earned their degree! If you've chosen accounting as your major, there are several career options to explore. Read more...

In the most general sense, a CPA, or Certified Public Accountant, is an individual who has met certain requirements in education, experience and examination. CPAs are certified to provide a broad range of financial advisory and external accounting services for their clients. Some services provided by public accountants include assurance (audit), tax compliance and advisory, mergers and acquisitions due diligence, and estate and financial planning. Read more...

Some people use the words bookkeeper and accountant interchangeably, but the functions of bookkeepers and accountants are distinct. Bookkeepers are typically responsible for keeping detailed records of the financial transactions for a business. While accountants are expected to establish and oversee systems the business can use to monitor its financial status and make strategic decisions. Read more...

Internships are a valuable source of training for Accounting majors. Many universities assist upperclassmen with placement in internships so they may gain the experience needed to obtain the career of their choice. However, smaller colleges may not have the resources available to offer this kind of assistance, so in those instances, it is up to each student to find an internship on his or her own. Read more...